Banff Honeymoon

After a wonderful wedding it seemed hard to follow up with anything else but we had a great time on our honeymoon! Zach and I decided to do a road trip to Canada for a week with our dog, Lucy.

We started out with a night at the Nickums cabin at Fisher Creek near Stanley. The day after the wedding I was EXHAUSTED from all the activities of the wedding and could barely keep my eyes open. Luckily, Zach and Lucy had energy for our drive to Montana and we really enjoyed ourselves on the way.

Our first night camping at Swan Lake near Flathead Lake in Montana is gorgeous! I kept thinking it was just like a smaller Tahoe. The water temperature of Swan lake was unexpectedly warmer then Tahoe though. Then it was off to Glacier National Park via Whitefish, MT the next day. We enjoyed a long hike up Big Mountain, well aware of any grizzly bears that may be snacking on huckleberries or hiding in the lush wildflowers. Driving through Glacier National Park later along the "Going to the Sun" road, we devoured the views of snow covered peaks, high-mountain meadows, and local mountain goats. Amazing views! I think Zach took a picture of every inch of the park and our tour through it. That night camping was a lot more crowded then the previous night but we nestled in and were off the next morning to Canada!

Crossing the continental divide the day before the landscape was noticeably dryer on the road to Calgary. Suddenly our math skills were tested as well when we had to follow speed limit signs in kilometers and not miles...but don't worry mom we figured it out! Turning west from Calgary we headed towards the Canadian Rockies and into Banff National Park. Again the mountain peaks were outstanding and more grand then anything I have seen before. Who knew all this wonder and beauty was so close to home? We checked into our little hotel, the Juniper, which luckily allows dogs so Lucy-Lu could sleep happily next to us. They even provided a doggie bed and treats for Lucy to feel right at home. It was time for more hiking and again we warned constantly on the threat of grizzly bears. We tied jingle bells to Lucy and set out making sure to be as loud as possible so the bears were well aware of our presence. Elk, deer, big horn sheep, and large eagles crossed our paths but no bears. Obviously our bear alarm (Lucy) was effective!

Later Zach and I headed out from the historical Banff Hotel on our mountain bikes and moved along the Bow River. Lightly raining we had a good time (despite my forward roll down one section). We managed to make a short drive North to Lake Louise and visit the gorgeous glacial lakes. The water was such a magnificent Whipple blue I kept taking off my sunglasses to make sure that it wasn't them that were distorting the color. We hiked up to the tea house and enjoyed refreshments before our way back down. We followed up that hike by visiting the Banff Hot Springs that is open to the public and definitely used by many people. It was like sharing a bath tub with 50 of your closest friends. Wasn't sure about that at first but when in Rome....

Heading back from Banff we took an alternative route through British Columbia (again enjoying more lakes, streams, rivers, and mountain peaks). Crossing the border we headed down through Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint, and just before reaching Couer D'Alene we stopped at Farragut State Park and camped near Lake Pend Orielle. This camp spot was anything but quiet but we still managed to enjoy the beautiful lake.

After Lucy and I took a dip in the lake we headed down to Moscow to visit Zach's cousin, Lauren, and catch up over lunch. She filled us in on her new college life and even gave us a tour of the sorority house she lived in. Lucy was a big fan after about 15 girls managed to pet her non-stop. We headed farther south to camp at McCall that evening and enjoy our final night of our honeymoon under the stars.

To see our honeymoon route you can go here to see the map.

Wedding Day

We had such a wonderful wedding and really want to thank all that made it special!

Nick, Jean, Bob, Sherri, Jeannie & Ben-First I want to thank our parents. We are so lucky to have your love and support and we really couldn't have done anything with out you!

Tom, "the pope" did an amazing job for his first officiant role and we were so impressed with the entire ceremony. He discussed the "the knot" and it's meaning in a marriage. He presented us with a bronzed knot for us to remember. It was perfect!

The bridesmaids & flower girl- Addie, Erin, Katherine, Ali, Mariah, and little Callie were so beautiful and sweet to together.

The groomsmen- Matt W., Grant, Wes, and Matt M. did a stellar job in supporting Zach and wow the toasts were so special!

DanO- the ManO- thanks for coming through with the music and cheer during the ceremony your such a great friend.

Helen and Rachel the flowers were so special and the amount of work and care you put into their growing is so appreciated we hardly know what to say! The centerpieces were gorgeous and I know everyone that took them home have really enjoyed them.

Megan, Katherine, Brett (and fellow helpers) the pies were a HUGE success! I've heard nothing but great remarks from everyone and can't thank you enough for putting up with me and making this thing happen.

Addie- thank you, thank you, for the beautiful stationery, thank you cards, save-the-dates, programs, menu's and table cards! You really made everything look beautiful and I know it was hard timing with Avery and we appreciate all your work!

Darleen- thank you for the beautiful jewelry! All the girls loved the earrings and I couldn't have been happier with mine.

Christian- you really helped us out with so many details, thank you, thank you, for the rings and the horseshoes! They really made our wedding special.

Galena Lodge (Erin & Don)- Thank you! Thank you! for making our wedding such a wonderful event. Your help and consideration for all the details really made this happen. The food was outstanding (as always) and the organization was superb!

To all our family & friends- Our day was made special with your presence and we are so happy you were able to join us. Thank you for making the long journey to celebrate with us!

I'm dying to get the pictures but luckily my friend, Davina, passed along a few that she took. Aahh, Jenna I just found some from your blog as well! Thank you girls for these!

Bachlorette Bash!

Wow! It feels like it took me all week to recover from the fun we had in Stanley for my bachlorette party. We started out with a day hike near Alturas Lake up to beautiful Alpine lakes on Saturday. Megan, Kat, and I talked about everything we could think of and enjoyed the beautiful wildflowers, conversation, and scenery. Then it was off to Megan's cabin to meet up with ten other girlfriends to make sushi. By the end of the evening we were getting good at making new roll creations including wasabi potato chips, tuna, ginger, and rice. Yummy! More fun when we caravaned to the Sawtooth Music Festival. People dancing everywhere, including yours truly that managed to take the stage in a tu-tu, veil, and with my large blow-up doll (that we nicknamed "Pro-Zac"). I am still getting compliments on my running man ;-) The music was good everywhere in town so we continued on to the Kasino Club in Stanely, the traditional hang out spot for locals, and enjoyed more bluesgrass music by the Jeremiah Jones Band. Needless to say we had a lot of fun! Thank you Megan, Kat, Brett, Rachel, Janet, Jen, Jenna, Lacie, Lisa, and Davina for making me feel like I was in college again!